Dan Rohn, the Giants' Triple-A manager, is one sick puppy. Shortly before a doubleheader in Fresno on Saturday, he summoned freshly minted U.S. Olympian Geno Espineli, a left-handed reliever, into his office.

"Rohny told a joke," Espineli said. "He said I failed a drug test for the Olympics."

Actually, Rohn needed to tell Espineli he was going to the majors. The Giants purchased his contract Sunday and placed struggling reliever Keiichi Yabu on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained middle finger on his right hand.

"I went from the lowest to the highest in two seconds," Espineli said. "It was pretty funny."

The 25-year-old pitcher is 6-foot-4 and looks as though he should throw 95 mph. Actually, he throws 85 but is deceptive and relies on a changeup he learned by trying the grip he saw on the back of a baseball card when he was a kid. Obviously, it works. Espineli was 1-1 with a 2.06 ERA in 34 games for Fresno. Equally impressive were six walks against 43 strikeouts.

Espineli has had a whirlwind couple of weeks, first pitching for the victorious Pacific Coast League in the Triple-A All-Star Game, then being named to the Olympic team before getting his first big-league call. It is unclear whether he still will go to Beijing next month.

Espineli believes he is the first full-blooded Filipino to pitch in the majors. With a 1-2-3 inning Sunday, including a strikeout of his first hitter, Mike Cameron, he became the 12th Giant to make his major-league debut in 2008. Espineli also becomes one of four rookies in the seven-man bullpen. He also becomes the 15th home-grown player on the 25-man roster.

Yabu down: Yabu's sprained finger cannot explain his severe downturn since June 22, because he said he was not hurt until the All-Star break. But it could explain Saturday's wild splitter that resulted in two runs. Yabu said he was not able to properly grip that pitch. His finger was noticeably swollen Sunday.

"I regret I can't pitch," he said, "but it's injured. There's no way I can go."

Lewis hurting: Fred Lewis sat Sunday with continuing pain from a bunion. Manager Bruce Bochy acknowledged the team has discussed surgery, but that is considered a last resort because recovery can take eight months. The injury might accelerate Dave Roberts' activation from his minor-league rehab stint, perhaps as soon as Tuesday.

"This is going to be with Freddie for the rest of the year," Bochy said. "He's going to need his time off. That's where Roberts can help."